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1917 
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iPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

'^ BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC COMMERCE 

E. E. PRATT. Chief 



SUBSTITUTES FOR TIN CANS 



HOW TO OFFSET ANY 
POSSIBLE SHORTAGE 



Issoed Id Collaboration with tlie Bureau of Standards 




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WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1917 



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SUBSTITUTES FOR TIN CANS. 



HOW TO OFFSET ANY POSSIBLE SHORTAGE. 

The Department of Commerce in cooperation with the Depart- 
ment of Agricultm-e has long been earnestly striving to increase the 
output of tin cans for food containers. To this end it has endeavored 
to increase the supply of tin, to secure the continuous movement of 
the materials entering into tin cans from the place of production to 
the place of use, and to facilitate the supply and movement of ma- 
cliinery for producing cans. The Department desires in every prac- 
ticable way to promote the present and permanent prosperity of the 
tin-can industry. There is no possible doubt of the steady and 
growing demand for its products. 

Tin plate is 98 per cent steel and 2 per cent tin. Steel is the back- 
bone of war, and the mills have not been able to keep all their cus- 
tomers fully supplied at all times. Moreover, abnormal freight 
demands have made prompt deliveries uncertain. There have also 
been decreased imports of pig tin, due to decreased production and 
reduced shipping facilities. It is not surprising, therefore, that the 
tin-plate makers can not provide the can manufacturers with suJE- 
cient plate to enable them to meet the increase in the demand for 
cans, which is 25 to 40 per cent greater than it was last' year. 

It is therefore imperative that the available supply of cans be 
utihzed, in so far as possible, for packing products that can be pre- 
served only in tin, and that substitutes be used for other products 
wherever practicable. Such containers should be cheaper than tin, 
so that the ultimate benefit from lower costs may offset the initial 
expense of the substitution. 

COST AND DESCRIPTION OF FIBER CONTAINERS. 

The price of glass has steadily risen and has reached a point at 
which any large extension of its use for food containers is imprac- 
ticable. At present fiber or paper containers of good quaUty are 
being produced in considerable and increasing quantities, and for 
many purposes are supplanting glass and tin plate. The price of 
the fiber containers depends upon the size, the quality of the paper- 
pulp material, the number of treatments A\ith paraffin, and the 
amount of printed matter on the outside. The commoner types 

98653°— 17 (2) 

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JUN 12 i9ir 



may be obtained at 1.25 to 1,5 cents for the half-pint size, 1.25 to 
1.6 cents for the pint size, and 1.5 to 1.65 cents for the quart size. 
Fiber containers are made in various shapes and sizes adapted to 
different purposes and may or may not be coated with paraffin, 
which is chemically inert and is sometimes baked into the paper 
material. Some of these containers are claimed to be air-tight, 
proof against leakage, and protected from contamination by the 
paraffin. Some containers appear to be more nearly air-tight than 
others of the same style, probably because of better fittting covers. 
These containers are light in weight, pack readily for shipment, 
are easily opened, and are used but once. 

FIBER CONTAINERS FOR DELIVERING FOODS TO CONSUMER. 

The demand for " ready-to-eat " foods, such as baked pork and beans, 
spaghetti, etc., with the simple direction ''Heat and serve," repre- 
sents the' largest factor in the increased use of tin cans. These foods 
must be processed in the containers at or above the temperature of 
boiling water, and no substitute for tin has been found that satis- 
factorily meets these conditions. However, a great economy in 
tin can be effected by home cooking of such products during the 
present shortage. 

Fiber containers are recommended for the distribution by the 
retailer of many foodstuffs, including milk, cream, buttermilk, _ice 
cream, oysters, sirups, marshmallow creams, dried fruits, preserves, 
jellies, mincemeat, horseradish, relishes, picldes, deviled ham and 
chicken, vinegar, dry and prepared mustard, soda water, salads, 
sauerkraut, and olives. 

FIBEil CONTAINERS FOR PACKING AND THE WHOLESALE TRADE. 

It is claimed that dry food products such as coffee, tea, alum, 
baking powder, spices, raisins, and prunes may be successfully packed 
by producers and niaiiufacturers in paper or fiber containers. For 
some of those products, bags fined with tinfoil have been in successful 
use for 10 years or more and they form an attractive package that is 
said to be moisture proof. 

Other commodities usually packed in tin could be marketed as 
well in paper or fiber, wdth the advantage of lower cost. Among 
these tobacco occupies a conspicuous position, and other articles are 
lye, cleansers, soap powders, shoe polishes, metal polishes, soaps and 
shaving preparations, toilet articles, such as talcum powder, and 
various dry di'ugs and chenncals. Paper containers are also suggested 
for preserved fruits and jeUies made at home. Cloth sacks for tobacco 
and wood for sirups and molasses are also recommended where retail 
sales can be made in bulk. 



For packers of dry products who are opposed to the adoption of 
fiber containers because of the good will built up upon the style 
and shape of a tin container, fiber containers having a tin top and 
bottom are available. These containers, when labeled, have the 
appearance of all- tin cans, and are almost as serviceable. 

Purchasers of large quantities of foodstuffs, such as hotels, restau- 
rants, and boarding houses, can also contribute directly to the tin- 
saving campaign by buying supplies in large cans instead of small 
ones. In addition to aiding in tin conservation, they will thus get 
the supphes at a lower rate. 



TESTS OF SUBSTITUTE CONTAINERS— TRADE LISTS. 

Certain types of these containers are now being tested to determine 
to what extent the claims of their manufacturers as to their general 
quahties can be substantiated. Manufacturers of substitute con- 
tainers who wish their products tested should send samples to the 
Bureau of Standards, Department of Commerce, with full informa- 
tion regarding commodities for which the containers are specially 
designed, prices, and ability to contract for early dehveries. Names 
and addresses of firms prepared to supply fiber and other containers 
may be obtained from the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce 
or its district or cooperative offices. Cooperation is required be- 
tween the Government departments, the manufacturers of tin plate 
and of substitute containers, the packers of foodstuffs and of other 
articles commonly put up in tin, and the general public, if the avail- 
able supply of tin plate is to be hmited to strictly necessary uses 
and if, at the same time, the largest possible quantity of food is to 
be preserved against the special needs of the coming months. 



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